Hello,
I want to apologize for the unhelpful, rude comments that have been
made.
I have included a brief overview and then a report in outline form
with references. I hope it meets your needs. But, please let me know
if you need more.
Does garbage pollution have a negative effect on city's environment?
Garbage in a city can cause a variety of problems. These include
contamination of ground water, surface water, and even the cities
water system, if leaching of chemicals occurs from the disposal site.
A lowering of pH by these chemicals can add to acidity problems in the
water and even the air. Landfills can also cause sealing of the
ground surface, which will lead to flooding.
Disposal areas attract wildlife, such as rats, dogs and birds.
Besides causing a danger of wildlife/ human interactions (birds flying
into planes, or dogs in roaming in packs) these usually bring diseases
with them, such as plague, meningitis, pneumonitis, and
toxoplama-gondii.
Another problem is the accumulation of infectious or toxic waste
items. May people in cities do no destroy dangerous items, they often
just throw objects that should be incinerated. This can create a heap
of items as dangerous as medical waste or toxic and corrosive
chemicals. Often there are infectious diseases associated with
medical waste that can cause or heighten an epidemic.
In short, garbage pollution in a city causes a myriad of problems.
These include but are not limited to contamination of air & water,
increased disease risk, attraction of undesirable wildlife, soil
sealing and flood problems.
INTRODUCTION:
Garbage accumulation in cities has been a problem all over the world
for centuries. Garbage is created both at a government level and at
the level of individual households. Landfills have always been
regarded as sources of disease and offensive odors. Early in their
development cities generally have few disposal regulations and
individual homes disposed of garbage in their own unique ways.
Therefore, means of disposal were based on the culture, background,
occupation and size of each of the different households (Crane, 2000).
Throwing away garbage is always a balance between hygiene and thrift
(Lucas, 2002). Used material may come in handy at a future date, but
in the mean time, storage of it causes certain problems, not the least
of which is sanitation concerns.
Cities must regulate garbage disposal in order to educate the
population and have their cooperation. Most people are willing to
cooperate with disposal regulations as long as they don’t have to live
with the results of garbage accumulation (Anand, 1999). In order for
a city to remain clean of the accumulation of garbage there is a
balance to be had between the participation and cooperation of each
household and the city government. Each urban area is going to have
unique concerns and decisions to be made as to the best way of
disposing of garbage (Dewess and Girlich, 1999).
Clearly Cities are complex ecosystems. They have to balance all of
the uses by all of the citizens and institutions. One of the major
problems is facing a city is the disposal of waste, in this
discussion,, specifically garbage. There is no solution to the
problem unless the infrastructure of a city is designed to address
this problem (Savage and Kong, 1993).
One study looked at the differences between soils of urban and
non-urban area. The soil pattern of urban areas is strongly
influenced by human activities. Specific characteristics of urban
areas soils were lowered ground water table and soil surface sealing .
Soil sealing, is the process of soils becoming less permeable to
water. This causes depletion of ground water as well as creating
flooding problems on the surface (Schleuss, Wu, and Blume, 1998).
Since February 1, 1998, Calcutta is the first city in India to
segregate medical clinical and biomedical wastes at hospitals. This
prevents hazardous, sometimes toxic and infectious wastes from going
into dumps with ordinary garbage. But, this means that other cities
in India are still disposing of such infectious and toxic wastes in
the land fills. It also means that the Calcutta landfill has such
wastes in them which were deposited prior to 1998 (Calcutta Calmanac).
In short, garbage pollution in a city causes a myriad of problems.
These include but are not limited to contamination of air & water,
increased disease risk, attraction of undesirable wildlife, soil
sealing and flood problems.
WATER POLLUTION:
Rain water percolates through garbage. The runoff from the rain will
then become contaminated by the sewage, sediment, chemicals and
diseases that are contained by that garbage. It is therefore
necessary for garbage dumps to either be waterproof or clear of water
born contaminants. Or, a better solution is to have garbage disposal
not present in the water shed of the public drinking supply. This is
more a concern in many developing countries than in countries that are
more economically advanced. Socio-economic factors make it very
difficult to solve these types of urban drainage problems (Silveira,
2002)
Inappropriate disposal of sewage and garbage has led to the
substantially deterioration of ground water. Unfortunately, the
growing population and inadequacy of many municipal water supplies has
led to the exploitation of ground water for public drinking water.
Bacteria is often found in the ground water of urban areas due to the
sewage and garbage dumps (Hussain, et. al, 2001).
Various Leachates from municipal solid wastes in certain urban areas
are also found to be a substantial problem (Hamed, et al.). In many
cases, the leachats are getting into the surface water, ground water
and the public drinking supply.
HEALTH:
There have been a variety of studies done that show health
deterioration in areas where there is not proper access to garbage
disposal (Monteiro, 2000). There are a variety of diseases that are
shown to be at least exacerbated, if not caused by the presence of
open garbage, or inadequate garbage landfills. FRENKEL, et al,
(1995), found a serious problem with Toxoplasm-gondii. Pneumonitis,
induced by avian antigens was found by Carrillo-Rodriguez, et al,
(2000), to be primarily associated with garbage dumps. Amoebic
diseases have been found concentrated in the soil and in the air in
greater proximity to urban garbage dumps (RIVERA, et al., 1994). And,
the disturbing phenomenon of “Biofilms” have been shown to form from
urban water sources. It is a film that forms inside such places as
dental instruments. It is from the concentration of free-living
amoebae that is in the water supply, some of which are potential human
pathogens (Barbeau and Buhler, 2001).
EFFECTS ON URBAN WILDLIFE:
It has been shown by many researchers that garbage dumps often attract
both wild and feral animals. Urban dumps create an environment that
will cause the accumulation of unhealthy concentrations of wildlife.
Often, it creates situation where garbage eating species will out
compete the native species, that eat native vegetation. Thus, the new
garbage eating species replace the native species. (Clergeau P et
al., 1998, Blair, 1996).
Clearly, as stated before, these high concentrations of certain
animals bring and spread diseases to the people in the areas.
Meningitis, pnumosistis, the black plaque, are all diseases that are
carried by the types of animals that are attracted to garbage dumps.
Also, are problems with bacteria and nutrient contamination from high
population concentration. That doesn’t even address the nuisance
factor. High concentrations of birds and rodent populations leave
high concentrations of feces and other residue. They also cause
problems by their presences in numbers. Feral dogs, which are
attracted to dumps often form into packs, which can be very dangerous.
Dumps are also not healthy for the wildlife themselves that visit
them. Many types of garbage is eaten or explored by urban wildlife
will cause entrapment or painful deaths.
REGULATION:
Many cities around the world are attempting to regulate garbage
disposal in a variety of ways. Some f the ways of reducing garbage is
by recycling and reusing as much as is feasible. Many urban areas are
attempting to encourage that. Another way is to make it easy to
properly dispose of garbage. Or to make it very expensive, or
difficult to improperly dispose of it. Many areas are prohibiting non
recyclables in certain products. Others are making it illegal to
dispose of certain dangerous items without the proper authorization.
Calcutta, India is an example of a city that is strongly creating and
enforcing legislation to control garbage disposal. (Calcutta Calmanc).
SOLUTIONS:
Rather than control garbage disposal through negative legislation,
there are many people attempting to come up with positive solutions to
this problem. Cohen, promotes a plan, in New York City, which is
sponsored cooperatively by the city and the state, to build
high-temperature incinerators that generate electricity. This way,
the garbage no longer is a disposal problem, it is instead an energy
source (Putting Garbage to Good Use).
CONCLUSION:
Garbage pollution is a serious problem in urban areas. Disposal has
been a concern of urban governments since the first city. It can
cause a myriad of problems for the citizens and wildlife in the urban
area. These range from creating an unpleasant atmosphere to creating
a center for disease infection, to altering the environmental quality
of the water, soil and native populations.
REFERENCES:
Anand P.B. 1999. “Waste management in Madras revisited,” in
ENVIRONMENT AND URBANIZATION, (11:2: 161-176 OCT 1999).
Barbeau J. and T. Buhler. 2001. “Biofilms augment the number of
free-living amoebae in dental unit waterlines,” in RESEARCH IN
MICROBIOLOGY, (152:8: 753-760 OCT 2001).
Blair R.B. 1996. “Land use and avian species diversity along an
urban gradient’” in ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, (6:2: 506-519 MAY 1996).
Carrillo-Rodriguez J.G., R.H. Sansores, A. Castrejon, R.
Perez-Padilla, A. Ramirez-Venegas, and M. Selman. 2000.
“Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in Mexico City,” in SALUD PUBLICA DE
MEXICO, (42:3: 201-207 MAY-JUN 2000).
Clergeau P., J.P.L. Savard, G. Mennechez, G. Falardeau. 1998. “Bird
abundance and diversity along an urban-rural gradient: A comparative
study between two cities on different continents,” in CONDOR, (100:3:
413-425 AUG 1998).
Cohen, S. 2002. “Putting Garbage to Good Use,” NY Times 15aug02.
http://www.mindfully.org/Air/2002/Garbage-Good-UseNYT15aug02.htm
Crane B.D. 2000. “Filth, garbage and rubbish: Refuse disposal,
sanitary reform and nineteenth-century yard deposits in Washington,
D.C.,” in HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, (34:1: 20-38 2000).
Dewess G. and H.J. Girlich. 1999. “Determining locations of stock
points from a multi-criteria decision problem,” in INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION ECONOMICS, (59:1-3: 355-359 MAR 20 1999).
FRENKEL, J.K., K.M. HASSANEIN, R.S. HASSANEIN, E. BROWN, P. THULLIEZ,
and R. QUINTERONUNEZ. 1995. “TRANSMISSION OF TOXOPLASMA-GONDII IN
PANAMA-CITY, PANAMA - A 5-YEAR PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY OF CHILDREN,
CATS, RODENTS, BIRDS, AND SOIL,” in AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL
MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, (53:5: 458-468 NOV 1995)
Hamed J, M.A Hassan, Y. Shirai, A. Ariff, and M.I.A. Karim. 2000.
“Utilisation of leachate from municipal solid waste for the production
of organic acids,” in ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND
BIOTECHNOLOGY, (8:1: 73-79 JUN 2000).
Hussain, J., I. Hussain, K.G. Ojha, and K.C. Sharma. 2001.
“Bacteriological pollution of ground water in textile city, Bhilwara,
Rajasthan (India),” in ASIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, (13:3: 1123-1126
JUL-SEP 2001)
LEMA J.M., R. MENDEZ, and R. BLAZQUEZ. 1988. “CHARACTERISTICS OF
LANDFILL LEACHATES AND ALTERNATIVES FOR THEIR TREATMENT - A REVIEW,”
in WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, (40:3-4: 223-250 AUG 1988).
Lucas G. 2002. “Disposability and dispossession in the twentieth
century,” in JOURNAL OF MATERIAL CULTURE, (7:1: 5-22 MAR 2002).
Monteiro, C.A. and C.D. 2000. “Secular trends in environmental
determinants of child health in S. Paulo city, Brazil (1984-1996),” in
Nazario. REVISTA DE SAUDE PUBLICA, (34:6: 13-18 Suppl. S DEC 2000).
Nadkarni, V. V. 2000 “Interventions on garbage pollution using
integrated social work practice framework,” Tata Institute of Social
Sciences. http://www.arcaf.net/social_work_proceedings/ftp_files5/Nadkarni.pdf
RIVERA F., G. ROYOCOTLA, I. ROSAS, E. RAMIREZ, P. BONILLA, and F.
LARES. 1987. “AMEBAS ISOLATED FROM THE ATMOSPHERE OF MEXICO-CITY AND
ENVIRONS,” in ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, (42:1: 149-154 FEB 1987).
RIVERA F., P. BONILLA, E. RAMIREZ, A. CALDERON, E. GALLEGOS, S.
RODRIGUEZ, R. ORTIZ, and D. HERNANDEZ. 1994. “SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION
OF AIR-BORNE PATHOGENIC AND FREE-LIVING AMEBAS IN MEXICO-CITY AND ITS
SUBURBS RIVERA V,” in WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, (74:1-2: 65-87 MAR
1994).
SAVAGE, V.R. and L. KONG. 1993. “URBAN CONSTRAINTS, POLITICAL
IMPERATIVES - ENVIRONMENTAL-DESIGN IN SINGAPORE,” in LANDSCAPE AND
URBAN PLANNING, (25:1-2: 37-52 AUG 1993).
Schleuss U, Q.L. Wu and H.P. Blume. 1998. “Variability of soils in
urban and periurban areas in Northern Germany,” in CATENA, (33:3-4:
255-270 NOV 1998).
Silveira, A.L.L. 2002. “Problems of modern urban drainage in
developing countries,” in WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, (45:7. 31-40
2002).
WEB REFERENCES:
Canada Shipping Act: Garbage Pollution Prevention Regulations
http://www.tc.gc.ca/Actsregs/csa-lmmc/csa22.html
Calcutta lives in Calmanac
http://www.calmanac.org/cmcnew/cmc/mediabriefs/05.htm?showmenu=no
City of Bellevue, Washington. Preventing Water Pollution
http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/page.asp?view=2068
Keywords Used:
garbage pollution city
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=garbage+pollution+city&btnG=Google+Search
garbage AND city On library search
I hope this helps you with your report.
pba |
Clarification of Answer by
peggy_bill-ga
on
03 Nov 2002 19:59 PST
Does garbage pollution have a negative effect on city's environment?
I. INTRODUCTION
Through the process of living, people produce garbage. Garbage
consists of food waste, as well as any other unwanted material.
Throwing away garbage is always a balance between hygiene and thrift
(Lucas, 2002). Used materials may come in handy at a future date, but
in the mean time, storage of it causes certain problems, not the least
of which are concerns about sanitation. Accumulated waste has a
negative effect on the human living space. As it accumulates it
becomes more and more of a problem. It takes up space for desired
items. It clutters the home and/or neighborhood, and it creates
safety hazards It must be disposed of safely, away from the living
area.
A. Population Density And Garbage Accumulation
Garbage accumulation in cities has been a problem all over the world
for centuries. In rural areas, where the population is more
dispersed, the amount of garbage produced by a single household could
be easily and safely disposed of. In the country, where there is more
land per household, garbage does not have to be transported very far
in order to get it safely away from human habitation.
However, when people live more close together in urban environments,
there is simple not enough land for the hygienic disposal of the high
concentrations of garbage that are produced. In cities, people are
exposed to the disposed of garbage of their neighbors.
a. concentrated accumulation
In cities, garbage is created at the community level as well as the
individual level. The density of the urban population produces
massive amounts of garbage that must be removed. Yet, there is not
much land per household for garbage disposal, and it is much farther
away. Landfills are set aside, but, they have always been regarded as
unpleasant places which are sources of disease and offensive odors
(Crane, 2000).
b. dispersed disposal
Early in their development cities generally have few disposal
regulations and individual homes disposed of garbage in their own
unique ways. Therefore, means of disposal were based on the culture,
background, occupation and size of each of the different households
(Crane, 2000). Unfortunately, due to the close proximity of homes,
one household’s garbage can is too often the neighbor’s backyard.
B. Urban Disposal Solutions
As garbage accumulation in urban areas becomes excessive, many cities
around the world are attempting to regulate. The answers are not
easy, as culture, history and affluence all have an effect on what
actions citizens are willing to take.
a. reduction
Environmental and health organizations are encouraging people and
companies to actually reduce the amount of garbage produced. They
suggest such means as composting on a large scale, less packaging and
fewer disposable items.
b. disposal
While it is traditional for urban areas to bury or sink their garbage.
Some governments and organizations are encouraging new ways of
disposal, so as to make use of it. Creating electricity through the
incineration of garbage, or methane production through composting are
new ways of making economical use of garbage accumulation.
II. NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF GARBAGE POLLUTION
Garbage pollution in a city causes a myriad of problems. These
include but are not limited to the creation of an unpleasant
environment, increased disease risk, attraction of undesirable
wildlife, contamination of air & water, soil sealing and flood
problems.
A. Aesthetic Effects
Garbage dumps are unpleasant places. They create nasty smells and are
full of dangerous objects. No one wants a garbage dump in their back
yard. This is particularly a problem in sprawling urban areas, as
these landfills must be located close enough so as to be practical.
B. Health Effects
Accumulated garbage has detrimental effects on the health of humans.
Besides, the general deterioration of the environment from bad smell,
landfills attract disease vectors, contain rotting food and carcasses,
accumulation infectious or toxic waste items, and produce noxious
chemicals that are released into the water and air.
May people in cities do no destroy dangerous items, they often just
throw away objects or chemicals that should be incinerated. This can
create a heap of items as dangerous as medical waste or toxic and
corrosive chemicals. Often there are infectious diseases associated
with medical waste that can cause or heighten an epidemic.
a. deterioration of general health
There have been a variety of studies done that show health
deterioration in areas where there is not proper access to garbage
disposal (Monteiro, 2000). It is not always clear what the specific
vectors are. Perhaps it is the general degradation of the
environment.
b. diseases
There are a variety of diseases that are shown to be at least
exacerbated, if not caused by the presence of open garbage, or
inadequate garbage landfills. FRENKEL, et al, (1995), found a serious
problem with Toxoplasm-gondii. Pneumonitis, induced by avian antigens
was found by Carrillo-Rodriguez, et al, (2000), to be primarily
associated with garbage dumps. Amoebic diseases have been found
concentrated in the soil and in the air in greater proximity to urban
garbage dumps (RIVERA, et al., 1994).
c. contaminated water supply
The disturbing phenomenon of “Biofilms” have shown up in urban water
sources. It is a film that forms inside such places as dental
instruments. It is from the concentration of free-living amoebae that
is in the water supply, some of which are potential human pathogens
(Barbeau and Buhler, 2001).
C. Wildlife Effects
Disposal areas attract wildlife, such as rats, dogs and birds.
Besides causing a danger of wildlife/ human interactions (birds flying
into planes, or dogs roaming in packs) these usually bring diseases
with them, such as plague, meningitis, pneumonitis, and
toxoplama-gondii.
a. unhealthy attraction
It has been shown by many researchers that garbage dumps often attract
both wild and feral animals. Urban dumps create an environment that
will cause the accumulation of unhealthy concentrations of wildlife.
Often, it creates situation where garbage eating species will out
compete the native species, that eat native vegetation. Thus, the new
garbage eating species replace the native species. (Clergeau P et
al., 1998, Blair, 1996).
b. spread of disease
Clearly, as stated before, these high concentrations of certain
animals bring and spread diseases to the people in the areas.
Meningitis, pnumosistis, the black plaque, are all diseases that are
carried by the types of animals that are attracted to garbage dumps.
Also, are problems with bacteria and nutrient contamination from high
population concentration.
c. unsafe nuisance
High concentrations of birds and rodent populations produce high
concentrations of feces and other residue. They also cause danger to
humans in high numbers. Feral dogs, which are attracted to dumps often
form into packs, which can be very dangerous. High concentrations of
rats that live in garbage dumps often wander out into nearby homes.
d. hazard for wildlife
Garbage dumps are no healthier for the wildlife than they are for
humans. The same hazards that harm children can endanger wildlife.
Many types of garbage are eaten or explored by urban wildlife will
cause entrapment or painful deaths. While cruelty to animals is an
issue, it is also a danger to humans. Dead or trapped wildlife are
dangerous and attract disease and more wild animals.
D. Environmental Effects
Garbage in a city can cause a variety environmental of problems.
These include contamination of ground water, surface water, and even
the cities water supply, if chemicals leach from the disposal site. A
lowering of pH by these chemicals can add to acidity problems in the
water and even the air. Landfills can also cause sealing of the
ground surface, which will lead to flooding.
Various Leachates from municipal solid wastes in certain urban areas
are also found to be a substantial problem (Hamed, et al.). In many
cases, the leachats are getting into the surface water, ground water
and the public drinking supply.
a. runoff contamination
Rain water percolates through garbage. The runoff from the rain will
then become contaminated by the sewage, sediment, chemicals and
diseases that are contained by that garbage. It is therefore
necessary for garbage dumps to either be waterproof or clear of water
born contaminants.
One solution is to have garbage disposal not present in the water shed
of the public drinking supply. This is more of a concern in many
developing countries than in countries that are more economically
advanced. Socio-economic factors make it very difficult to solve
these types of urban drainage problems (Silveira, 2002)
b. groundwater contamination
Inappropriate disposal of sewage and garbage often leads to
substantially deterioration of ground water. Bacteria is often found
in the ground water of urban areas due to the sewage and garbage dumps
(Hussain, et. al, 2001). Unfortunately, the growing population and
inadequacy of many municipal water supplies has led to the
exploitation of ground water for public drinking water, water which
has already been polluted by urban garbage.
c. air pollution
Many of the bacteria and chemicals which leach from garbage dumps and
contaminate the ground water, are also becoming airborne and polluting
the air in the vicinity of landfills. If the garbage is open to the
air, localized air pollution is a likely result.
d. soil alterations
There are demonstrable differences between soils of urban and
non-urban area. The soil pattern of urban areas is strongly
influenced by human activities. Specific characteristics of urban
areas soils were lowered ground water table and soil surface sealing .
Soil sealing, is the process of soils becoming less permeable to
water. This causes depletion of ground water as well as creating
flooding problems on the surface (Schleuss, Wu, and Blume, 1998).
III. SOLUTIONS
Cities are complex ecosystems. They have to balance all of the uses
by all of the citizens and institutions. One of the major problems
facing a city is the disposal of waste.
A. Infrastructure
In order for a city to remain clean of the accumulation of garbage
there is a balance to be had between the participation and cooperation
of each household and the city government. Each urban area is going
to have unique concerns and decisions to be made as to the best way of
disposing of garbage (Dewess and Girlich, 1999). There is no solution
to the problem unless the infrastructure of a city is designed to
address this problem (Savage and Kong, 1993).
B. Education
Cities must regulate garbage disposal in order to educate the
population and have their cooperation. Most people are willing to
cooperate with disposal regulations as long as they don’t have to live
with the results of garbage accumulation (Anand, 1999).
B. Regulation
Many cities around the world are attempting to regulate garbage
disposal in a variety of way. Some cities are creating strict
regulations regarding disposal of garbage. In these cases, severe
penalties are imposed upon those who do not properly follow the
sanitation guidelines. Many areas are prohibiting non-recyclables in
certain products. Others are making it illegal to dispose of certain
dangerous items without the proper authorization.
C. Incentive
Some of the ways of reducing garbage is by recycling and reusing as
much as is feasible. Many urban areas are attempting to encourage
this solution by making recycling an easy option. Another way is to
make it easy to properly dispose of garbage. Or to make it very
expensive, or difficult to improperly dispose of it.
D. Energy Source
Rather than control garbage disposal through negative legislation,
there are many people attempting to come up with positive solutions to
this problem. There is a plan being promoted in New York City to
build high-temperature incinerators which generate electricity.
Garbage is burned in these incinerators and actually create
electricity. In this way, the garbage is no longer a disposal
problem, instead it is an energy source (Cohen, Putting Garbage to
Good Use).
IV. CONCLUSION
Garbage pollution is a serious problem in cities. Disposal of garbage
has been a significant challenge for governments since the first
city-state. Improper or inadequate disposal of waste causes a myriad
of problems for the citizens, wildlife and environment. City
governments must work with their citizens to create solutions and
infrastructure for proper garbage disposal.
|
Clarification of Answer by
peggy_bill-ga
on
04 Nov 2002 12:17 PST
Does garbage pollution have a negative effect on city's environment?
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Population Density And Garbage Accumulation
a. concentrated accumulation
i. density of population
ii. distance to safe disposal
b. dispersed disposal
i. multitude of households
ii. imposed regulation
B. Urban Disposal Solutions
a. reduction
i. composting
ii. recycling
iii. reduced packaging
b. disposal
i. burying locally
ii. transporting away
II. NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF GARBAGE POLLUTION
A. Aesthetic Effects
i. unsightly
ii. bad odors
B. Health Effects
a. deterioration of general health
b. diseases
i. Toxoplasm-gondii.
ii. Pneumonitis
iii. Amoebic diseases
c. contaminated water supply
C. Wildlife Effects
a. unhealthy attraction
i. food waste
ii. shelter
b. spread of disease
i. plaque
ii. Pneumonitis
c. unsafe nuisance
i. attracts rats
ii. formation of dog packs
d. hazards for wildlife
i. toxic poisoning
ii. entrapment
iii. injury
D. Environmental Effects
a. runoff contamination
i. biotic contaminants
ii. chemical contaminants
b. groundwater contamination
i. leaching of toxins
ii. acid leaching
c. air pollution
d. soil alterations
i. compaction
ii. ground water alterations
III. SOLUTIONS
A. Infrastructure
B. Education
C. Regulation
D. Incentive
E. Energy Source
IV. CONCLUSION
Does garbage pollution have a negative effect on city's environment?
INTRODUCTION
Through the process of living, people produce garbage. Garbage
consists of food waste, as well as any other unwanted material.
Throwing away garbage is always a balance between hygiene and thrift
(Lucas, 2002). Used materials may come in handy at a future date, but
in the mean time, storage of it causes certain problems, not the least
of which are concerns about sanitation. Accumulated waste has a
negative effect on the human living space. As it accumulates it
becomes more and more of a problem. It takes up space for desired
items. It clutters the home and/or neighborhood, and it creates
safety hazards It must be disposed of safely, away from the living
area.
Garbage accumulation in cities has been a problem all over the world
for centuries. In rural areas, where the population is more
dispersed, the amount of garbage produced by a single household could
be easily and safely disposed of. In the country, where there is more
land per household, garbage does not have to be transported very far
in order to get it safely away from human habitation.
However, when people live more close together in urban environments,
there is simple not enough land for the hygienic disposal of the high
concentrations of garbage that are produced. In cities, people are
exposed to the disposed of garbage of their neighbors.
In cities, garbage is created at the community level as well as the
individual level. The density of the urban population produces
massive amounts of garbage that must be removed. Yet, there is not
much land per household for garbage disposal, and it is much farther
away. Landfills are set aside, but, they have always been regarded as
unpleasant places which are sources of disease and offensive odors
(Crane, 2000).
Early in their development cities generally have few disposal
regulations and individual homes disposed of garbage in their own
unique ways. Therefore, means of disposal were based on the culture,
background, occupation and size of each of the different households
(Crane, 2000). Unfortunately, due to the close proximity of homes,
one household’s garbage can is too often the neighbor’s backyard.
As garbage accumulation in urban areas becomes excessive, many cities
around the world are attempting to regulate. The answers are not
easy, as culture, history and affluence all have an effect on what
actions citizens are willing to take.
Environmental and health organizations are encouraging people and
companies to actually reduce the amount of garbage produced. They
suggest such means as composting on a large scale, less packaging and
fewer disposable items.
While it is traditional for urban areas to bury or sink their garbage.
Some governments and organizations are encouraging new ways of
disposal, so as to make use of it. Creating electricity through the
incineration of garbage, or methane production through composting are
new ways of making economical use of garbage accumulation.
Garbage pollution in a city causes a myriad of problems. These
include but are not limited to the creation of an unpleasant
environment, increased disease risk, attraction of undesirable
wildlife, contamination of air & water, soil sealing and flood
problems.
Garbage dumps are unpleasant places. They create nasty smells and are
full of dangerous objects. No one wants a garbage dump in their back
yard. This is particularly a problem in sprawling urban areas, as
these landfills must be located close enough so as to be practical.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF GARBAGE POLLUTION
Accumulated garbage has detrimental effects on the health of humans.
Besides, the general deterioration of the environment from bad smell,
landfills attract disease vectors, contain rotting food and carcasses,
accumulation infectious or toxic waste items, and produce noxious
chemicals that are released into the water and air.
May people in cities do no destroy dangerous items, they often just
throw away objects or chemicals that should be incinerated. This can
create a heap of items as dangerous as medical waste or toxic and
corrosive chemicals. Often there are infectious diseases associated
with medical waste that can cause or heighten an epidemic.
There have been a variety of studies done that show health
deterioration in areas where there is not proper access to garbage
disposal (Monteiro, 2000). It is not always clear what the specific
vectors are. Perhaps it is the general degradation of the
environment.
There are a variety of diseases that are shown to be at least
exacerbated, if not caused by the presence of open garbage, or
inadequate garbage landfills. FRENKEL, et al, (1995), found a serious
problem with Toxoplasm-gondii. Pneumonitis, induced by avian antigens
was found by Carrillo-Rodriguez, et al, (2000), to be primarily
associated with garbage dumps. Amoebic diseases have been found
concentrated in the soil and in the air in greater proximity to urban
garbage dumps (RIVERA, et al., 1994).
The disturbing phenomenon of “Biofilms” have shown up in urban water
sources. It is a film that forms inside such places as dental
instruments. It is from the concentration of free-living amoebae that
is in the water supply, some of which are potential human pathogens
(Barbeau and Buhler, 2001).
Disposal areas attract wildlife, such as rats, dogs and birds.
Besides causing a danger of wildlife/ human interactions (birds flying
into planes, or dogs roaming in packs) these usually bring diseases
with them, such as plague, meningitis, pneumonitis, and
toxoplama-gondii.
It has been shown by many researchers that garbage dumps often attract
both wild and feral animals. Urban dumps create an environment that
will cause the accumulation of unhealthy concentrations of wildlife.
Often, it creates situation where garbage eating species will out
compete the native species, that eat native vegetation. Thus, the new
garbage eating species replace the native species. (Clergeau P et
al., 1998, Blair, 1996).
Clearly, as stated before, these high concentrations of certain
animals bring and spread diseases to the people in the areas.
Meningitis, pnumosistis, the black plaque, are all diseases that are
carried by the types of animals that are attracted to garbage dumps.
Also, are problems with bacteria and nutrient contamination from high
population concentration.
High concentrations of birds and rodent populations produce high
concentrations of feces and other residue. They also cause danger to
humans in high numbers. Feral dogs, which are attracted to dumps often
form into packs, which can be very dangerous. High concentrations of
rats that live in garbage dumps often wander out into nearby homes.
Garbage dumps are no healthier for the wildlife than they are for
humans. The same hazards that harm children can endanger wildlife.
Many types of garbage are eaten or explored by urban wildlife will
cause entrapment or painful deaths. While cruelty to animals is an
issue, it is also a danger to humans. Dead or trapped wildlife are
dangerous and attract disease and more wild animals.
Garbage in a city can cause a variety environmental of problems.
These include contamination of ground water, surface water, and even
the cities water supply, if chemicals leach from the disposal site. A
lowering of pH by these chemicals can add to acidity problems in the
water and even the air. Landfills can also cause sealing of the
ground surface, which will lead to flooding.
Various Leachates from municipal solid wastes in certain urban areas
are also found to be a substantial problem (Hamed, et al.). In many
cases, the leachats are getting into the surface water, ground water
and the public drinking supply.
Rain water percolates through garbage. The runoff from the rain will
then become contaminated by the sewage, sediment, chemicals and
diseases that are contained by that garbage. It is therefore
necessary for garbage dumps to either be waterproof or clear of water
born contaminants.
One solution is to have garbage disposal not present in the water shed
of the public drinking supply. This is more of a concern in many
developing countries than in countries that are more economically
advanced. Socio-economic factors make it very difficult to solve
these types of urban drainage problems (Silveira, 2002)
Inappropriate disposal of sewage and garbage often leads to
substantially deterioration of ground water. Bacteria is often found
in the ground water of urban areas due to the sewage and garbage dumps
(Hussain, et. al, 2001). Unfortunately, the growing population and
inadequacy of many municipal water supplies has led to the
exploitation of ground water for public drinking water, water which
has already been polluted by urban garbage.
Many of the bacteria and chemicals which leach from garbage dumps and
contaminate the ground water, are also becoming airborne and polluting
the air in the vicinity of landfills. If the garbage is open to the
air, localized air pollution is a likely result.
There are demonstrable differences between soils of urban and
non-urban area. The soil pattern of urban areas is strongly
influenced by human activities. Specific characteristics of urban
areas soils were lowered ground water table and soil surface sealing .
Soil sealing, is the process of soils becoming less permeable to
water. This causes depletion of ground water as well as creating
flooding problems on the surface (Schleuss, Wu, and Blume, 1998).
SOLUTIONS
Cities are complex ecosystems. They have to balance all of the uses
by all of the citizens and institutions. One of the major problems
facing a city is the disposal of waste.
In order for a city to remain clean of the accumulation of garbage
there is a balance to be had between the participation and cooperation
of each household and the city government. Each urban area is going
to have unique concerns and decisions to be made as to the best way of
disposing of garbage (Dewess and Girlich, 1999). There is no solution
to the problem unless the infrastructure of a city is designed to
address this problem (Savage and Kong, 1993).
Cities must regulate garbage disposal in order to educate the
population and have their cooperation. Most people are willing to
cooperate with disposal regulations as long as they don’t have to live
with the results of garbage accumulation (Anand, 1999).
Many cities around the world are attempting to regulate garbage
disposal in a variety of way. Some cities are creating strict
regulations regarding disposal of garbage. In these cases, severe
penalties are imposed upon those who do not properly follow the
sanitation guidelines. Many areas are prohibiting non-recyclables in
certain products. Others are making it illegal to dispose of certain
dangerous items without the proper authorization.
Some of the ways of reducing garbage is by recycling and reusing as
much as is feasible. Many urban areas are attempting to encourage
this solution by making recycling an easy option. Another way is to
make it easy to properly dispose of garbage. Or to make it very
expensive, or difficult to improperly dispose of it.
Rather than control garbage disposal through negative legislation,
there are many people attempting to come up with positive solutions to
this problem. There is a plan being promoted in New York City to
build high-temperature incinerators which generate electricity.
Garbage is burned in these incinerators and actually create
electricity. In this way, the garbage is no longer a disposal
problem, instead it is an energy source (Cohen, Putting Garbage to
Good Use).
CONCLUSION
Garbage pollution is a serious problem in cities. Disposal of garbage
has been a significant challenge for governments since the first
city-state. Improper or inadequate disposal of waste causes a myriad
of problems for the citizens, wildlife and environment. City
governments must work with their citizens to create solutions and
infrastructure for proper garbage disposal.
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